A U.S. federal criminal investigation into Boeing's rocket launch contracts has expanded, the Wall Street Journal said on Tuesday.
Investigators are examining whether a former Lockheed Martin employee that moved to Boeing let his new employer access pricing data documents amid a competition for National Aeronautics and Space Administration contracts, the Journal said, citing government and industry officials close to the probe.
The government is probing whether the data helped Boeing make pricing decisions related to rocket-launch contracts for NASA and other government clients, the Journal said.
Air Force sanctions were imposed last July after investigators found Boeing illegally obtained over 25,000 documents from rival Lockheed Martin Corp. during a 1998 competition.
It was thought those restrictions might be lifted soon.
That was before government investigators began looking at the NASA angle, the Journal said, and before a Boeing manager started cooperating with the prosecutors.
Boeing representative Dan Beck declined to comment on current probe, but said Boeing "continues to be very cooperative with the Air Force."
He added that Boeing is "negotiating with them (Air Force) to lift the suspension."